If it weren’t for the great Gianluigi Donnarumma, it is a big question whether the Italian national team would have managed to emerge victorious from the duel with Hungary, which coach Roberto Mancini didn’t like.
Mancini was especially bothered by the last 20 minutes of the game, when the Italians defended frantically to preserve the victory (2:0).
- This was a difficult match. Everything was perfect until the last 20 minutes. We really need to improve our ability to control the match for 90 minutes. When you work so hard to build a two-goal lead, there’s no point in suffering like this in the last 20 minutes. We should have continued to press and look for the third goal. I lost my voice because I was constantly scratching myself for those last 20 minutes.
Mancini had to highlight the hero of the match – Gianluigi Donnarumma.
- Gidjo has done a good job, you can see that he is now defending regularly in Paris Saint-Germain… His confidence shows that. I am happy because we wanted to qualify for the play-offs with these two wins against England and Hungary. That’s why we presented two very good performances.
He praised the coach of the Italian football players and the fans at the Puskas Arena who heartily cheered on the Hungarians.
- The fans were incredible, they cheered for Hungary from the first to the last minute and I thank them for the applause sent to our account. Marco Rossi is doing an amazingly good job. When you beat both England and Germany, it’s not a coincidence – Mancini concluded.
